There are literally thousands of varieties of roses available today, coming in almost every size and color, but because of the great variety, many people wonder what kinds of roses would be best to plant in their yards. To help sort the different kinds for sale at a store or nursery, roses will usually have an information tag attached to them or to the container that lists the name and defines what type of rose it is. For example, the tag may say Peace for the name and have the words hybrid tea rose under the name. When you see the words hybrid tea rose on the tag, that is the species that the Peace Rose belongs to due to their similar growth characteristics. The hybrid tea roses are just one species of many that are popular in the world today.
HYBRID TEA ROSES:
Hybrid tea roses are the most recognizable roses in the world. They are given at Valentine’s Day and at other occasions and are the most frequently grown roses in the home garden. Some of the advantages of hybrid tea roses are that there are literally hundreds of varieties available for purchase, their flowers are very large and oftentimes fragrant. They will not get out of hand because their maximum size is usually under five feet tall, and with care they will re-bloom the entire season. There are a couple of things to take into consideration when purchasing these roses: one is that they are more disease and insect prone than other roses, and they do require regular pruning to help maximize their blooming potential.
GRANDIFLORA ROSES:
Grandiflora roses are very similar to hybrid teas. The only difference being that grandiflora roses have a cluster of long stem flowers instead of just one per flowering site, but both groups still require the same type of maintenance and care.
FLORIBUNDA ROSES:
Floribunda roses are the next most popular species of roses because most of them re-bloom throughout the growing season, and they are very low maintenance. A few other advantages to floribunda roses are: they are more cold hardy than hybrid tea roses, more disease and insect resistant and are more compact. Their maximum size is about three feet high and wide, making them good to use as a hedge or in smaller yards.
CLIMBING ROSES:
This species has a lot of variation within it. The climbing group includes anything from climbing mini-roses that will only reach three feet tall to other roses that could grow over twenty feet tall. There is also much variation in their flowering habits. With most of the newer varieties blooming throughout the year, there are still many older varieties, on the market, that will only bloom once in the spring. Most commercially available climbers will reach a height of 15-20 feet, and disease and insect resistance as with cold hardiness is variety specific. Climbing roses also require some training onto a support structure to help them get started.
ENGLISH ROSES (MODERN SHRUB ROSES):
This is a relatively new category of roses. Plant breeders have crossed modern roses with old English and European varieties to create new plants that have flowers that are often more than six inches wide and will continually bloom throughout the growing season. They are also very fragrant and more insect and disease resistant than hybrid tea roses. Flower stems on English roses are not as long as those on hybrid teas so they may be more difficult to use as cut flowers, but pruning and care requirements are similar to the hybrid tea roses.
GROUNDCOVER ROSES:
Groundcover roses are a lesser-known group of roses. When a ground cover is needed for an area these roses are not usually considered, but they may be an excellent choice because most varieties will provide flowers for the entire season and also are also available in a multitude of colors. Groundcover roses like full sun and will reach a height of 18-24 inches and a width of six to eight feet. They are very cold hardy and disease and insect resistant.
MINIATURE ROSES:
People usually think of miniature roses as something you would buy from a florist to give to someone as a gift, but mini-roses are very cold hardy and do just fine when grown outdoors. They will grow 18-24 inches high and wide, making them good for use in rock gardens or as a very low growing hedge. Mini-roses can also be grown in pots to decorate patios and walkways.
ANTIQUE ROSES (OLD GARDEN ROSES):
Most antique roses were developed before 1867, the year the first hybrid tea was developed. There is much variation within this category, and it actually contains several sub-groups of roses within it. These roses will usually bloom only once in the spring, and will reach a height of eight to ten feet high and wide. They are also very cold, hardy and easy to care for.
TREE ROSES:
There are many types of roses that are grafted onto a standard to create a tree rose, but hybrid teas and mini-roses are two of the most common types. Tree roses are often used as patio accents and along walkways and other more formal settings. Being grafted on a standard makes tree roses less cold hardy than other roses, and so winter they need winter protection in Northern Utah. One option to protect them in the winter is to grow the tree rose in a pot and store it in an unheated garage or shed in the winter. This also allows for more flexibility in the landscape because the rose can be moved around to beautify. They also require regular pruning to keep them in their tree form.
